Deciding Between Digital and Analog Body Weight Scales
Bathroom scales have come a long way in recent decades. It's true that you can still get a simple, basic analog scale for typical weight checking, but there are also flashier models with greater accuracy and some helpful extra features. You will even have a fair amount of choice as to the look of your scale, especially where digital scales are concerned; many of them come in glass or chrome, and can make a nice highlight to your bathroom.
The More Affordable Option
The cheapest option will probably be a basic analog scale. These are fairly dependable, though you should be aware that the very cheapest analog scales will tend to lose accuracy after a few years or even a few months. A high-quality analog scale, on the other hand, can preserve its accuracy for a long time, and can be recalibrated if it starts to drift. And of course, with an analog scale, you will never have to worry about changing the batteries.
Go Big With Digital Scales
If you are willing to spend a bit more, and if you are looking for greater accuracy and perhaps some extra features, you may want to purchase a digital scale. As with anything else, the ones with lower prices — even if they look flashy — will be lower quality. They may not give dependable readings, and can start to become inaccurate by as much as several pounds after only a few months. If you are buying the scale as part of a plan to lose weight, it's important to get accurate, precise results. If you buy a scale that gives you accuracy to fractions of a pound, watching your weight shift even only by a few ounces at a time can provide the motivation you need to continue with your plan. On the other hand, if you're not greatly concerned about accuracy but still want an analog scale, you may be able to save some money by opting for a scale that gives a reading only in whole pounds.
If you're willing to invest in a really high-end scale, some of them have some useful features. There are scales that ask for your height, measure your weight, and calculate an estimate of your body mass index, or the amount of your weight that is made up of fat. On the other hand, you can produce the same results yourself by entering your height and weight in an online body-mass-index (BMI) calculator. If you want to get really high-tech, some scales even come with electrodes which send a small current through your body to give a more accurate reading of your body mass. Most people, though, will find this to be more technology than they really need. A more useful feature, and one that is a bit cheaper, is weight memory: this type of scale remembers the last time you weighed yourself, and allows for easy comparison when you are looking to lose (or gain) weight.
Finally, make sure that the scale you buy has enough range to accommodate your current weight. Some scales can provide readings for six hundred pounds or more, but scales with a lower weight capacity can become damaged if they are subjected to too much weight.
